Professionally accredited

Overview

Computing is a creative and wide-ranging subject that focuses on using sound underlying principles and logical thinking to design and build systems that really work.

You will learn how modern computer and communications systems function, and how they can be used and adapted to build the next generation of computing applications.

This course allows you to specialise in artificial intelligence and knowledge engineering, as well as the development of computational and engineering models of complex cognitive and social behaviours.

Study programme

All of our Computing courses follow broadly the same structure for the first two years. Core modules give you an understanding of the basic concepts and principles of computing. We also provide a solid background in discrete mathematics (logic, sets, relations and grammars), which is the basic mathematics of computing, and classical mathematics and statistics relevant to applications engineering and management.

The central core of our courses has been designed to give you an overview of computing, an understanding of the basic concepts and principles, the ability to appreciate and to adapt to changes in technology, and practical experience in applied computing.

We place special emphasis on the fundamental principles underlying computing and on the engineering considerations involved in computing system design, implementation and usage. We will also introduce you to computing architecture and hardware, alongside the software that can exploit them.

You will attend laboratory and problem-solving classes, as well as completing project and design work throughout the course.

As the course progresses, you will study advanced techniques and modules, many of which draw on current research taking place in the Department.

At the end of your third year you will gain valuable skills and experience by completing an industrial placement.

Your study reaches Master’s level in the final year, with a wide choice of optional modules and a substantial individual project on a subject of your choice.

Transfer between courses

The high level of shared content between our courses for the first two years means that transfer to a different Computing course within the Department is usually possible during this time.

If you are an international student, transferring to a different course could have an impact on your Tier 4 visa. Please visit our International Student Support webpage for further information.

Structure

Please note that the curriculum of this course is currently being reviewed as part of a College-wide process to introduce a standardised modular structure. As a result, the content and assessment structures of this course may change for 2018 entry. We therefore recommend that you check this course page before finalising your application and after submitting it as we will aim to update this page as soon as any changes are ratified by the College.

Find out more about the limited circumstances in which we may need to make changes to or in relation to our courses, the type of changes we may make and how we will tell you about changes we have made.

Year 1

Core modules

Architecture

Computing Topics

Databases 1

Discrete Mathematics

Ethics in Computing 1

Hardware

Laboratory 1

Logic

Mathematical Methods

Networks and Communications

Presentation Skills

Programming 1

Programming 2

Programming 3

Reasoning about Programs

Extracurricular

Advanced Programming

Programming Competition Training

Year 2

Core modules

2nd Year Computing Group Project

An Introduction to Law for Computer Scientists

C++ Introduction

Compilers

Concurrency

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Introduction to Prolog

Laboratory 2

Models of Computation

Networks and Communications

Operating Systems

Probability and Statistics

Software Engineering - Algorithms

Software Engineering Design

Team Skills Development

Optional modules

Choose one module from below.

Computational Techniques

Computer Architecture

Extracurricular

Programming Competition Training

Year 3

Core modules

3rd Year Software Engineering Group Project

Machine Learning

Management and Business for Computing Engineers

Project Presentation Skills

Software Engineering Practice

Optional modules

You choose either four or five modules from below.

Advanced Computer Architecture

Advanced Databases

Communicating Computer Science in Schools

Computer Vision

Custom Computing

Dynamical Systems and Deep Learning

Graphics

Information and Coding Theory

Logic-Based Learning

Network and Web Security

Operations Research

Pervasive Computing

Robotics

Simulation and Modelling

Systems Verification

Type Systems for Programming Languages

You also have the option of choosing the course below:

External course

Extracurricular

Programming Competition Training

Year 4

Core modules

Individual Project MEng

Industrial Placement - Presentation and Report

Optional modules

Group 1

Choose between one and four full modules from below (modules marked * are half modules, two of which equal one full module).

Advanced Computer Graphics

Advanced Issues in Object Oriented Programming

Body Sensor Networks in the Internet of Things*

Communicating Computer Science in Schools

Complexity

Computational Finance

Computational Optimisation

Cryptography Engineering

Dataflow Computing in Space*

Large Scale Data Management*

Medical Image Computing*

Privacy Enhancing Techniques*

Scalable Distributed Systems Design*

Software Engineering for Industry

Software Reliability

Group 2

Choose between three and five full modules from below (modules marked * are half modules, two of which equal one full module).

Advanced Robotics

Advanced Statistical Machine Learning and Pattern Recognition

Argumentation and Multi-agent Systems

Computational Neurodynamics*

Data Analysis and Probabilistic Inference

Knowledge Representation

Learning in Autonomous Systems*

Modal Logic*

Separation Logic: Local Reasoning about Programs*

Group 3

You choose up to two modules from below.

External Course 4I

External Course 4II

Mathematics for Inference and Machine Learning

Speech Processing

Extracurricular

Programming Competition Training

Professional accreditation

Achieving a professionally accredited integrated Master's degree (MEng) means that you have satisfied the first step to becoming a Chartered Engineer (CEng) in your chosen field by satisfying the educational requirements of professional registration. To gain Chartered status, you will need to demonstrate your ability to meet additional graduate level competences described in the Engineering Council's UK-SPEC

A CEng is a highly respected qualification earned by professionals working in engineering, which can lead to higher earning potential and better career prospects.

Professional registration also brings international recognition of your qualification, which is particularly useful for students preparing for a career abroad.

Our professional accreditation agreements with BCS and IET are renewed every five years, and our current agreement is due to be renewed for students beginning this course from the 2017–18 academic year.

Associateship

As well as your main Imperial degree, you will also receive the award of the Associateship of the City and Guilds of London Institute (ACGI) on completion of this course.

The City and Guilds of London Institute is one of three historic Colleges that came together to form Imperial College London in 1907.

Summer internships

You will have the opportunity to apply for summer internships from the first year. Internships often lead to industrial placement opportunities for MEng students and job offers for BEng students.

Staff expertise

The Department of Computing is among the largest in the country when it comes to the number of teaching and research staff. We strongly value the quality of our teaching and you can expect to be taught by experienced teachers as well as well-known leading researchers from across the various fields of computer science.

The focus is on individual attention and you will receive a personal tutor to advise you throughout your degree. The Department places importance on small group teaching which allows you to pose plenty of questions aiding your personal development. Later in your degree, individual and group projects are supervised by a dedicated member of teaching staff.

Compare this course

See how this course compares with similar courses at different institutions using the Unistats information below.

You can use the Unistats website to find out how this course compares in areas such as student satisfaction and what our graduates are doing six months after completing this course.

Entry requirements

We welcome students from all over the world and consider all applicants on an individual basis – see selection process below.

For advice on the requirements for the qualifications listed here please contact the Department (see Contact us).

We also accept a wide range of international qualifications. If the requirements for your qualifications are not listed here, please see our academic requirements by country page for guidance on which qualifications we accept.

A-levels

Typical offer range

As a guide, here are the typical offers made in 2016 to at least 85% of applicants studying A-levels:

Three A-level offer: A*AA–A*A*A

Four A-level offer: A*AAA

Subject and grade requirements (2018 entry)

We expect applicants for 2018 entry to meet the following grade requirements in these subjects:

Very useful subjects

For more information on which subjects the Department of Computing recommend, please see the Qualification Advice tab on this page.

Advanced Placements

Our minimum requirement for this course is grades 5, 5, 5 to include:

5 in Calculus BC

Selection process

Assessing your application

Admissions Tutors consider all the evidence available during our rigorous selection process and the College flags key information providing assessors with a more complete picture of the educational and social circumstances relevant to the applicant.

Some applicants may be set lower offers and some more challenging ones. It is the College’s policy to not make offers below three A’s at A-level in relevant subjects, 38 IB points with at least a grade 6 at higher level in relevant subjects, or their equivalent.

A typical range of offers made by this Department in 2016 (encompassing at least 85% of applicants who studied A-level or IB) is shown above.

Post-application open day and interview

If your UCAS application indicates that you are likely to satisfy our requirements and you live within reasonable travelling distance of the College you will be invited for an interview. This enables us to get an impression of your motivation, your suitability for the course and your potential for success in an engineering career. Equally importantly, it gives you a chance to find out more about the courses and about Imperial in general.

All applicants will also be asked to complete an online admissions test.

The interview day consists of:

a welcome presentation from the Admissions Tutor and Director of Undergraduate Studies

a guided tour of the facilities at the Department and College

demonstrations of undergraduate projects

a 1-1 interview with one of our lecturers

If you are unable to attend an interview day, the Department will organise a Skype interview.

English language qualifications (all applicants)

All candidates must demonstrate a minimum level of English language proficiency for admission to the College.

Tuition fees and funding

We charge tuition fees for every year that your course lasts. The fee you will be charged is based on your fee status, which is determined by government regulations.

Tuition fees (Home and EU students)

2018 entry

£9,250 per year

The above fee applies to the academic year 2018–19 only.

The fee for Home/EU students is controlled by the UK government.

Please note that the fee you pay may increase annually by an amount linked to inflation and approved by Parliament under the Student Fees (Inflation Index) Regulations 2006 – currently the measure of inflation used is the RPIX.

Government funding

If you're a Home student, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the UK government to cover the entire cost of tuition for every year of your course.

You can also apply for a means-tested Maintenance Loan to help towards your living costs.

EU students

The UK government has confirmed that funding arrangements for EU students starting a course in 2018 means they will continue to pay the Home rate of tuition and have access to the Tuition Fee Loan for the duration of their course.

This will remain the case even if their course finishes after the UK's exit from the European Union.

Tuition fees (Overseas and Islands students)

2018 entry

£29,000 per year

The tuition fees for Overseas and Islands students are set by Imperial College London.

You should expect and budget for your tuition fee increasing each year by an inflationary amount. The measure of inflation used will be the Retail Price Index (RPI) value in the April of the calendar year in which the academic session starts e.g. the RPI value in April 2019 will apply to fees for the academic year 2019–2020.

Accommodation and living costs

Living costs, including accommodation, are not included in your tuition fees.

Over 90 per cent of Imperial undergraduates choose to live in our halls of residence in their first year. You can compare costs across our different accommodation options on our Accommodation website.

A rough guide to what you might expect to spend to live in reasonable comfort in London is available on our Fees and Funding website.

Careers

Our degrees open the door to a wide range of careers. Some of our graduates join large software companies, while some go on to work for smaller companies; quite a few have started their own businesses. Some go into management consulting or enter the accountancy profession; others take up careers in corporate strategy and marketing; some become business analysts in investment banks or stockbrokers; while others follow a career in research.

Order a prospectus

Further information

Living in London

London’s fusion of culture and charm will give you a student experience unlike any other, and our first-year accommodation guarantee means that you'll have the perfect base from which to explore this exciting city.